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Punchless in Seattle, Rapids lose 3 to zip
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Seattle Sounders FC's Freddie Ljungberg, left, runs the ball toward
the goal as Colorado Rapids' Greg Dalby defends during Seattle's 3-0 win
over the Colorado Rapids in an MLS soccer match on Sunday, June 28, 2009,
at Qwest Field in Seattle. (AP Photo/Seattlepi.com, Cliff DesPeaux)
The Rapids were beat 3-0 by the Seattle Sounders in Sunday's afternoon match at Qwest Field.
The Rapids side of the game could be summed up by the thirty-fifth minute penatly kick awarded to the Rapids.
The Rapids were down by a goal and were fighting to get a goal back. A foul by Tryone Marshall offered the team a chance. Colin Clark stepped up to take the free kick, but it was deflected by Osvaldo Alonso. Osvaldo had jumped when the kick was taken, raising his hands to drive himself upward intot he air. As he rose he brought his arms downward blocking the ball that was heading towards his chest. The referee Alex Prus awarded the Rapids a penalty kick for a handball in the area.
The call itself was harsh but accurate. Seattle players and fans went ballistic and argued against the call. The scene brought flashbacks of the Rapid's April 27th meeting with the L.A. Galaxy. Prus was in the middle for that game as well. He made a call that was hotly contested, and fans were treated to the scene of seeing Prus letting high profile players trying to tell him how things are going to be. Prus held tight on Sunday and the game went ahead.
Omar Cummings stepped forward to take the penalty. Kasey Keller stood his ground in the net and guessed correctly that Omar would go to Kasey's left. Omar sent a hard shot, high and beyond Kasey's outstretched hand, right into the post. The ball bounced clear and the Sounder's cleared.
That's how the whole game went for the Rapids. The Rapids out shot Seattle two-to-one. The Rapids had long stretches of good possession. They had excellent chances and they could not put the ball in the goal. Omar Cummings was the main culprit, but in his case he actually got his shots off. Other Rapids had their looks as well, but did not get their shots off.
A single goal would have made all the difference in the world for the Rapids. The team poured forth and tried to get back into the match. After the second Seattle goal it was clear the Rapids were either gonna score of lose by a lot. The team pushed forward leaving their back exposed, eventually giving up the third goal. Had it not been for some goal keeping heroics on the part of Matt Pickens, who stopped two break aways, the score would have been 5 to 0.
Seattle's side of the tail is one of success. Seattle's forwards Nate Jacqua and Fredy Montero were perfectly in sync all night. The midfield transitioned the ball quickly, and the team put on a show of speed and finishing skill. The Seattle defense clustered around Omar Cummings and shut down Colin Clark on the left. The Rapids generated several good opportunities, but none were uncontested.
Player Ratings:
Matt Pickens - 6: Matt did well to stop several shots and brave in killing off two break away attempts. Picken's was nearly victimized by a couple of strange bounces off the turf that were similar to one that resulted in a goal in New York.
Ugo Ihemelu - 6: Ugo ran hard all during the whole game getting forward well.
Scott Palguta - 6: Palguta and Gibbs were victimized on counter attacks. The two did well when the defense could muster numbers, but the Seattle speed was their down fall. Clearances were often an adventure.
Cory Gibbs- 6: See Palguta.
Jordan Harvey - 6: Did well serving in some balls and supporting the left sided attack. Was vicitimized by the turf on the second goal, a slide to clear the ball ended short of the mark as the turf grabbed him halting his slide.
Colin Clark - 5: An off game for Clark who seemed to second guess himself when he got the ball. His dribbling caused some problems, but often times he'd pull up and allow the defense to get set.
Pablo Mastroeni - 5: Pablo played fine
Mehdi Ballouchy - 5: Best game of the year for Mehdi as well. His possession play in midfield was more positive than in past game maintaining the ball without relinquishing pressure. Made a few very clever passes. Also, demonstrated from the 65th to the 80th minute his ability to allow himself to float into spaces where he can't help the team.
Nick LaBrocca - 6: Continues to be the most effective Rapids player at holding possession and linking the ball forward. He often drifts inside abandoning his right mid position. The Rapids lack width on the right side when he is played there.
Pat Noonan - 5: Slowly getting in the groove. The Seattle game was the first where Noonan wasn't noticeably off the pace.
Omar Cummings - 5: Omar's finishing in this match was atrocious. On another night he would have scored a brace. His hold up work continues to be a bright spot.
Substitutes:
Jacob Peterson - 4: Ran hard but seldom saw the ball and did not make an impression.
Greg Dalby - 5: Brought in to protect Pablo. Dalby never made much of a impression in the match.
Kosuke Kimura - NR : Too little time to rate.
Around MLS:
- Week 15: Examiner.com's MLS Recap
- 2009 Superliga Matchday #3 vs. San Luis
- Greatest games in U.S. World Cup history, part one
- New England Revolution beat Atlas 1-0, advance to SuperLiga semifinals
- Photos: Sounders FC outshine Rapids
- Off from MLS play, Ocean City looms next for DC United in US Open Cup
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